Colorado floods: Dramatic rescues as more rain arrives

By David Simpson and Nick Valencia, CNN

Updated 9:51 PM ET, Sat September 14, 2013

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Railroad tracks washed from their path by floodwaters are seen in Longmont on Thursday, September 19, 2013. Massive flooding has left at least six people dead and damaged thousands of homes around the state.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Piles of items destroyed by flooding line both sides of a street in Longmont on September 19.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – A woman disposes of ruined items from her home in Longmont on Wednesday, September 18.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – David Soleta, right, and family friend John Rice remove destroyed and contaminated walls on September 18 from Soleta's father-in-law's home, which was heavily damaged by floodwaters that swept through Longmont.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – From left, siblings Elizabeth, 13, Jonathan, 9, Aaron, 11, and Kitty Dipert, 6, wash mud from the clothing of family friends from church on September 18 in Longmont, Colorado.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – An abandoned car sits on a destroyed road along the South Platte River near Greeley, Colorado, on Tuesday, September 17.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – A Blackhawk helicopter flies over a canyon during a search around Boulder, Colorado, on September 17.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Two women are hoisted into a Blackhawk helicopter during a search and rescue mission near Jamestown, Colorado, on September 17.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Two women smile and laugh after being rescued by a helicopter crew on September 17 near Jamestown, Colorado.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Members of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Nebraska Task Force 1 use probes to test for water depth while crossing floodwaters looking for missing people near Longmont, Colorado, on September 17. Stranded flood victims are being rescued by military helicopters and vehicles.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – A cow stands in floodwater near Kersey, Colorado, on September 17.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – From left, Dale Reeves, Kathryn Reeves and Trent Mayes assist a family member by moving belongings from a flooded home in Evans, Colorado, on September 17.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – A gas well is surrounded by floodwater near Kersey, Colorado, on September 17.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – A woman steps over a puddle onto the foundation of a shed that was moved by floodwaters in Hygiene, Colorado, on Monday, September 16.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – People wade through floodwater in Greeley, Colorado, on September 16.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Jerrie McBride checks in with authorities after being rescued by helicopter from the Big Elk Meadows area in Boulder, Colorado, on September 16.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Local residents, from left, Levi Wolfe, Miranda Woodard, Tyler Sadar, and Genevieve Marquez help salvage and clean property after days of flooding in Hygeine, Colorado, on September 16.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Floodwaters surround a home in Jamestown, Colorado, on Sunday, September 15.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Chickens take refuge on the roof of their coop to escape floodwater in the backyard of a home in Longmont, Colorado, on September 15.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Railroad tracks are washed out in Longmont, Colorado, on September 15.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Water pours out of a parking lot, overwhelming a culvert heading under the roadway, in Estes Park, Colorado, on September 15.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – A road crew works on a stretch of highway washed away by flooding along the South Platte River near Greeley, Colorado, on Saturday, September 14.

Deadly floods hit Colorado – Dave Jackson closes a mailbox with his foot after delivering the mail to a home surrounded by water from the flooded Cheyenne Creek in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Friday, September 13.

Deadly floods hit Colorado – During a break in the rain, a woman walks over a footbridge past the raging Boulder Creek in Boulder on September 13. Boulder County is one of the hardest-hit areas.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Suzanne Sophocles hugs her dogs after they were rescued from her flooded home on September 13 in Boulder. Thousands of people stranded by the flood waters in Colorado were finally able to come down by trucks and helicopters, two days after seemingly endless rain turned normally scenic rivers and creeks into coffee-colored rapids that wrecked scores of roads and wiped out neighborhoods.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Residents look at the flood damage along Topaz Street in Boulder on September 13.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Will Pitner gets rescued by emergency workers and neighbor Jeff Writer on September 13 after he spent a night trapped outside above his home at the base of Boulder Canyon.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Water rushes where a bridge collapsed in a flash flood in Lyons, on September 13.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – A man runs through the floodwaters in a yard in Boulder on September 13.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Topaz Street resident Jake Koplen stands at the edge of his driveway after the street in front of his home was washed away in Boulder on September 13.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Siblings Patrick Tinsley and Mary Kerns head to Boulder from the mountain community of Magnolia, Colorado, on September 13.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Samantha Kinzig of Longmont, Colorado, and her 5-year-old daughter, Isabel, take a closer look at the damaged bridge on Weld County Road 1 on September 13.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Highway 7 is completely blown out from the South St. Vrain River as a torrent of raging water rips through it about 12 miles west of Lyons on Thursday, September 12.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – A woman looks at the flooded Boulder Creek on September 12.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Three vehicles crashed into a creek after the road washed out from beneath them in Broomfield, Colorado, on September 12. Three people were rescued.

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Deadly floods hit Colorado – Nicky Toor, 15, floats on the flooded lawn of North Boulder Park in Boulder on September 12.

Heavy storms returned to northeastern Colorado on Saturday as rescuers scrambled to take advantage of breaks in the weather to continue reaching stranded residents.

The rain Saturday extended eastward from southeast Denver, where the National Weather Service said 1.73 inches of rain fell in less than 30 minutes.

The agency warned that El Paso County, home to Colorado Springs, could endure more flooding because of heavy rain Saturday evening along a "burn scar" created by an earlier fire in Waldo Canyon.

The rain Saturday evening spared Boulder County, scene of the most damage discovered so far. But officials said they received a forecast of up to 4 inches of rain for Sunday afternoon.

Sheriff Joe Pelle said rain that heavy "could be devastating."

Authorities are worried that any additional water on ground already soaked by up to 15 inches of rain will cause more flooding and dislodge mud and debris.

At least four deaths have been blamed on the flooding.

In addition, a 60-year-old woman was presumed dead after witnesses saw her being swept away by waters that demolished her home, said Nick Christensen, executive officer of the Larimer County Sheriff's Office. Neighbors tried unsuccessfully to rescue the woman, Christensen said. Her body had not been recovered.

The sheriff's office said that about 350 people were unaccounted for in Larimer County. That number jumped sharply Saturday afternoon as rescuers reached more empty homes. The sheriff's office lists such residents as unaccounted for until they are located elsewhere.

In neighboring Boulder County, 231 people were on the "unaccounted for" list as of 7 p.m. MT (9 p.m. ET), said Gabrielle Boerkircher, spokesperson for the county office of emergency management. She said that number was fluctuating as some people were found safe even as the county received new requests to locate people.

A surveillance mission carrying Gov. John Hickenlooper and members of Colorado's congressional delegation was diverted twice to pick up people waving to be rescued.

After the officials' delayed arrival at a Boulder airport, U.S. Sen. Mark Udall said, "That dog and the cat and those seven people on those two helicopters didn't ask us whether we were Democrats or Republicans." And he promised a bipartisan push in Congress for federal aid for flood recovery.

Hickenlooper said he spoke by phone with U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who "was adamant that the $5 million that was released yesterday was just the beginning" of federal assistance.

Experts from Vermont will arrive next week to share lessons learned about improved road-building in the wake of Hurricane Irene, the governor said.

Hickenlooper said he saw many damaged roads with "not just the asphalt taken away, but the entire roadbed, and bridge after bridge missing."

But he promised, "We're going to come back and rebuild better than it was before."

Boulder County alone will need an estimated $150 million to repair 100 to 150 miles of roadway and 20 to 30 bridges, county transportation director George Gerstle said. The repair bill will be "10 to 15 times our annual budget," he said.

Human toll

Evacuations continued Saturday, but were hindered by drainage issues and flooded roadways, he said. Many residents are isolated.

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National Guard helps with Colorado evacuations – Members of the Colorado National Guard help Boulder County authorities evacuate residents of Lyons, Colorado, to Longmont, Colorado, on Friday, September 13. Flooding has hit the area hard, washing out roads, damaging bridges and destroying homes.

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National Guard helps with Colorado evacuations – The guardsmen are using Light Medium Tactical Vehicles, or LMTVs, which can transport about 16 people with luggage, to assist the evacuation. The LMTVs can navigate through rubble and flooded areas that otherwise could not be reached by rescue personnel.

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National Guard helps with Colorado evacuations – Dick and LaRue Vodime, temporary residents of Lyons, witness some of the destruction from the floods as they are evacuated to Longmont on September 13.

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National Guard helps with Colorado evacuations – Colorado Army National Guard Sgt. David Wilson carries Ezra Villa while escorting Thomas Walter and Melinda Villa to the flood evacuation area in Lyons on September 13.

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National Guard helps with Colorado evacuations – Residents ride in the back of an LMTV while being evacuated to Longmont on September 13.

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National Guard helps with Colorado evacuations – A Colorado Army National Guard helicopter takes off from the the Boulder Municipal Airport in Boulder, Colorado, on September 13.

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National Guard helps with Colorado evacuations – Guardsmen help residents and their pets off a Colorado National Guard Chinook helicopter at the Boulder Municipal Airport on September 13.

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National Guard helps with Colorado evacuations – Colorado National Guardsmen assist residents in unincorporated areas of Boulder County, Colorado. Residents were evacuating the area on Thursday, September 12.

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National Guard helps with Colorado evacuations – The guardsmen brought in high-clearance vehicles to take people out of the flooded areas.

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National Guard helps with Colorado evacuations – People, as well as pets, were loaded onto National Guard vehicles.

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National Guard helps with Colorado evacuations – The rains sent virtually every waterway in Boulder County coursing out of its banks, and massive water flows washed away roads and bridges, flooded homes and stressed numerous other bridges.

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National Guard helps with Colorado evacuations – Authorities reported between 25 and 30 roads were closed as of Thursday afternoon in Boulder County. Some of them had been washed out entirely.

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National Guard helps with Colorado evacuations – Friday's forecast calls for three more days of rain for the area.

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EXPAND GALLERY

"It's a sinking feeling," Sheriff Pelle said of knowing that emergency responders may not be able to reach everyone who needs help.

The National Guard had rescued more than 1,200 people in Boulder County by Saturday afternoon, Lt. Col Mitch Utterback said.

In Larimer County, there were 46 medical rescues on Friday alone, the sheriff's office said.

Pelle said authorities have to be "realistic" about the chances that the death toll will rise as rescuers penetrate further into isolated areas.

The four confirmed deaths included a woman who was swept away when she got out of her car Thursday in Boulder County. A man jumped out of the car to save her. Both drowned. Authorities recovered both bodies, Pelle said.

Another body was found in a collapsed home in Jamestown in the same county. Rescuers recovered another body on a roadway in Colorado Springs in El Paso County.

In Denver, rushing waters swept a man into a drainage pipe with his dog. Both were saved after traveling two blocks in the water, police said.

President Barack Obama declared an emergency for Boulder, Larimer and El Paso counties, FEMA announced Friday. The declaration allowed FEMA to bring in four rescue teams, the largest ever deployment in Colorado, officials said.

The clear skies allowed for an uptick in evacuations Friday and earlier Saturday.

National Guard troops using "high-profile" trucks to wade through water evacuated 550 people from the Boulder County town of Lyons, CNN affiliate KUSA reported.

It had been cut off since the flooding began Wednesday night -- without water or sewer service, in many cases without electricity.

Emotional rescues

Melinda Villa was stranded in her apartment with her 1-month-old baby in the inundated town. She had no phone service, no water and was running out of formula and food.

Then the National Guard arrived.

"It just really felt like God came down and saved us," she said.

Some had to rescue themselves.

Catherine Smith and Mandy Stepanovsky lived in a part of Lyons that is accessible only by bridges.

"When those became compromised -- one bridge completely blew out and the other one was very much impassible -- we started looking at other options," Smith said.

So the couple decided to hike for 2 miles to safety -- with their 8-month-old toddler in their arms. Walking was the only way out.

They hiked to Smith's brother's house, where they showered and ate a meal before the weather caught up with them again.

A mudslide suddenly brought mud, debris and water through the house, Smith said. They were forced to run to higher ground.

"It was terrifying," Smith said.

Jonathan Linenberger described a Noah's Ark-style evacuation as he, his fiancee, four dogs and three cats greeted the National Guard truck.

"We had to go (through) knee-deep water, at least. We had to wade our animals across into the truck to get them there," said Linenberger. "That was the first thing you can grab, your loved ones -- and that's what we have."

The National Guard also was evacuating the entire population -- 285 people -- from the town of Jamestown by helicopter, CNN affiliate KCNC-TV reported.

In Larimer County, Sheriff Justin Smith surveyed the heavily damaged Big Thompson Canyon by air Friday. Some people remain stranded in homes there, he said, "How we're going to get them out -- it's going to take a damn long time."

However, he said the break in the rain allowed school buses to begin evacuating students who had been stranded at a school.